$2.7M in judgments awarded in deadly Carlstadt explosion

A jury in Hackensack has awarded a total of more than $2.7 million to the family of a man who was killed and several workers injured in a blast at a Carlstadt metal casting plant five years ago.

Mario Gomez, 61, of Jersey City died and at least four others were injured when a boiler-like pressurized tank exploded on Jan. 15, 2008, at Tec-Cast Inc.'s facility on Meadow Lane.

Gomez, who was standing in front of the vessel, was killed instantly, said his family's attorney, John O'Dwyer.

Another worker, Jose Salazar of New York City, suffered a skull fracture and a broken leg and is still taking pain medication; Ramon Agramonte of Paterson underwent surgery for a broken ankle, said their attorney, Raymond Carroll.

Adalgisa Armetico of Passaic suffered psychological injuries and went to a therapist for 12 weeks after the explosion, he said.

The attorneys for the plaintiffs alleged that the employer engaged in intentional misconduct — a high standard of proof that they had to meet in order to obtain damages.

They claimed in their lawsuits that Tec-Cast failed to follow multiple safety regulations, failed to ensure that safety devices were operative, permitted repairs to be performed by unlicensed and ill-qualified technicians and did not conduct proper inspections.

Tec-Cast's conduct was intentional and wrongful because the employer was aware of these conditions at the time that it assigned the plaintiffs to work near the tank, they alleged.

A panel of six jurors in state Superior Court in Hackensack agreed unanimously late last week, finding that Tec-Cast engaged in "intentional and knowingly deceptive course of conduct."

The panel awarded $1.4 million in damages to the family of Gomez, a married father of five. It also awarded more than $1.24 million to Salazar and $78,000 to Agramonte.

The jury did not award damages to Armetico. Her attorney, Carroll, said he will ask a Superior Court judge to reconsider that decision of the jury.

Carroll also said the jury awarded $20,000 to Agramonte for lifetime pain and suffering, and said he also will seek to have that decision reconsidered by a judge so Agramonte can receive a higher amount.

George Kelly, an attorney for Tec-Cast Inc., said he, too, will ask a judge to set aside the jury verdict. If he doesn't succeed at that level, he will file an appeal, he said.

"The jury verdict is not supported by the evidence or by the law," he said.